The president of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Saturday that his administration is still assessing the next steps in Venezuela following the capture of the dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
In response to a question in an interview with Fox News about the political future of the South American country, Trump was emphatic: “We are making that decision now. We cannot risk letting someone else take charge and simply continue where he left off.”
The president stated that the United States "will not repeat the mistakes of the past" and that any transition in Venezuela must guarantee freedom, fair elections, and the end of institutionalized drug trafficking.
The United States government filed a federal indictment on Saturday in the Southern District Court of New York against Nicolás Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and several high-ranking officials for their alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking and corruption conspiracy.
The indictment outlines how, since the late 1990s, the defendants allegedly used their public positions to facilitate the shipment of large quantities of cocaine to the United States, through a network protected by the Venezuelan government.
Washington considers the case an unprecedented step in its offensive against organized crime in Latin America.
The fall of Maduro, captured in a U.S. military operation, has raised uncertainty about who will take control in Caracas. However, Trump insisted that his administration "will not allow chavismo to reinvent itself with another face."
Filed under:
